Spring-bottom crate



(No Model.)

H. W. HAMMOND.

SPRING BOTTOM CRATE.

fPatented Mar 3,1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY w. HAMMOND, or NORTH BERGEN, NEW YORK.

SPRING-BOTTOM CRATE.

. T at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY W. HAMMOND, of North Bergen, in the county of Genesee, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Shipping-Crates,

of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description. I

My invention relates to an improved shipping-crate especially applicable for transporting fruits, vegetables, and like perishable articles, whereby all injury and deterioration resultant from breaking and bruising are obviated; and to this end my invention consists, essentially, of a frame and a movable bottom wall in said frame having a guide for yieldingly supporting the transported article.

The invention also consists in the detail construction and arrangement of the parts, all as hereinafter more particularly described, and pointed out in the claims.

In describing this invention reference is had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof, in which like letters indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved crate, illustrating its general construction and arrangement. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, illustrating particularly the construction of the yielding bottom Wall and the guide-pieces of the frame; and Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view, further illustrating the construction of the yielding bottom wall.

The frame of my improved crate is of any desirable form, size, and construction, but is preferably of rectangular form and composed of a series of strips or thin bars, whereby a portion of theframe is open to allow the air to circulate therein for the purpose of preserving the transported article.

a a represent the strips or bars for form-' ing the central portion of the sides of the crate, as best seen in Figs. 1 and 2, and a a, and b I) represent, respectively, the adjacent or corner strips or bars of the sides and the ends of the crate-frame.

b and 19 represent, respectively, the top and bottom bars, to which the side and end bars are secured by suitable securing means 6 Upon reference to the drawings, and particularly Figs. 2 and 3 thereof, it will be noted that the vertical corner-bars a and b of the respective corners form guides e, in which are movably-mounted the corners of the yielding bottom wall. This bottom wall E is preferably composed of suitable thin material, and is mounted upon a suitable spring cl, of wood or other suitable material and here illustrated as of elliptical form, with its cen-' tral portion supported on the frame of the crate and its extremities secured to the opposite ends of the bottom wall. It will readily be understood that when mounted on the yielding supportE the perishable transported articles are prevented from injurious jarring, since the spring takes up the motion without the slightest liability of injury to said articles. Moreover, the yielding bottom wall holds the transported article firmly in position against a superimposed crate or any desirable construction of cover, which, although not illustrated, may be provided upon the crate when desirable.

In order to increase the efficiency of my crate and adapt the same for transporting articles of different weights without material difference in the position of the bottom support, as would ordinarily be the case, I ad- .justably mount the spring cl upon the frame.

0, O, and 0 represent the supports for the spring, which are preferably three in number and detachably secured to the bottom side bars b of the crate-frame. The opposite extremities of the bars are detachably secured in notches or seats 6 formed in said side walls, and, as best seen in Fig. 2, a series of these notches or seats is formed at each end i 'of said side bars in order to permit the with- -drawal of the end supports 0 and C from one pair of notches and their replacement into another pair, whereupon the spring is either elevated or depressed, accordinglyas the second notch is nearer 'the center of said side bar. The spring is preferably passed below the central bar and above the end bar 0 and O and the face of said bars against which the spring rests is of rounding contour in order to permit an easy movement of the spring.

The strips or bars composing the frame of my improved crate are preferably formed of thin material, and when assembled form a simple, cheap, and durable frame. Moreover, the bottom wall and its springs, which are preferably formed of wood, are also si1n-' ple and cheap in construction and greatly increase the eliieieney of the crate.

It will be understood that the construction of this crate may be somewhat varied from the described form of construction.

Having thus fully described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A shipping-crate composed of a frame, a movable Wall in said frame, a spring-bar having its extremities elevated for supporting said Wall, and a movable support for varying the position of said extremities of said spring, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. An open-sided shipping-crate composed of corner-strips arranged at an angle with each other for forming a guide, tie-pieces between said corner-strips, a yielding bottom having its corners guided in the angle formed by the corner-strips, a spring for supporting said bottom, and a movable support for adjusting the tension of the spring, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. A shipping-crate composed of a frame, seats in said frame, bars removably supported in said seats, a spring supported by said bars, and awall yieldingly mounted on said spring, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. A shipping-crate composed of a frame, a central notch in the lower frame-bar, a series of notches on either side of the central notch, a central bar supported in said central notch, end bars supportedin the notches on either side of said central bar, a spring passed between said bars, and a bottom wall mounted on said spring, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimonywhereof Ihave hereunto signed my name, in the presence of two attesting \vitnesses, at Rochester, in the county of Monroe, in the State of New York, this 41th day of August, 1890.

HENRY \V. HAMMOND.

Witnesses:

CHARLES E. TOMLINSOX, M. BAXTER. 

